Valve seat replacement tool



July 1, 195s VALVE SEAT REPLACE NT TOOL JUIY l, 1958 N. H. EcKLER ETAL 2,840,894

VALVE SEAT REPLACEMENT Toor.

Filed July 27. 195:5

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent VALVE SEAT REPLACEMENT TOOL Norman H. Eckler, Cheswick, and Eugene W. Jacobson,

Oakmont, Pa., assignors to Gulf Research & Development Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application July 27, 1953, Serial No. 370,529 2 Claims. (Cl. 29-261) The present invention relates generally to a tool for handling annular articles and pertains more particularly to such a tool for use in connection with positioning and removing annular valve seats of valves, such as the type of valve disclosed in copending application entitled Ball Type Shut-Oil Valve, Serial No. 370,436, filed July 27, 1953, by Jacobson.

The principles of the invention are described hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal central sectional view of the tool, and illustrates the same in an operative position within a valve;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken upon the plane of the section line 2-2 of Figure l;

,Figure 3 is a sectional view taken at the upper right hand side of Figure 1 upon a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tool, with a portion of the upper nut being broken away to disclose the position of a key;

Figure 4 is a sectional detail view taken upon the plane of the section line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional detail view taken upon the plane of the section line 5 5 of Figure 1; and Figure 6 is a side elevational View of the tool per se with portions thereof being removed and broken away, and illustrates the same with hidden portions thereof being shown in dashed outline.l

The tool of this invention will perhaps be best understood with a brief introductory description of a valve of the type with which the tool is especially well adapted to be used. The aforementioned copending application discloses such a valve in detail, and for a full understanding thereof, reference should be made thereto. However, the features of such a valve with which the tool of this invention is adapted to cooperate are adequately portrayed in Figures 1 and 2 of this disclosure, wherein it will.be seen that the valve designated generally at 10 includes a valve body 12, having a passageway 14 therethrough that is intersected by a circular cylindrical opening 16.

The opening 16 terminates at its inner end at the intersection thereof with the passageway 14, with the opening 16 being of a diameter greater than the diameter of the passageway 14 multiplied by the secant of the acute angle at which the opening 16 intersects the passageway 14, thereby defining at the inner end of the opening 16 an annular shoulder 18 that surrounds the passageway 14.

The annular shoulder 18 constitutes a support for an annular valve seat 20 seated snugly within the opening 16. Such annular valve seat 20 is adapted to cooperate with valving elements, not shown, normally disposed and movable in the opening 16.

As best shown in Figure 2, the annular shoulder 18 is recessed at diametrically opposed positions 22 with such recesses 22 underlying the annular valve seat 20 and being especially provided for the use of the tool of this invention. j

The tool of this invention is designated generally at ICC 23 and is comprised of a cylindrical sleeve 24 of such diameter as to be slidingly received within the opening 16. An end portion 26 of the sleeve 24 is of reduced internal diameter, and fitted within the end portion 26 of the sleeve 24, and welded thereto as at 28, is a hollow stem 30. The portion of the hollow stem 30 that extends outwardly from the sleeve 24 is provided with external threads 32 for a purpose that will appear presently. Thus, the sleeve 24 and the hollow stem 30 jointly constitute an elongated hollow member.

The hollow stem 30 projects into the sleeve 24 inwardly of the portion 26 of such sleeve 24, and such inwardly projecting portion of the hollow stern 30 is bifurcated so as to provide a pair of diametrically opposed slots 34 at the inner end of the hollow stem 30. A pair of legs 36 having their ends disposed within the slots 34 are pivotedly secured to the hollow shaft 30 by transverse pivot pins 38, whereby the ends of the legs 36 remote from the hollow stem 30 may swing towards and away from the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 24. The legs 36 are yieldingly urged towards the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 24 by means of a tension spring 40 connected between lateral projections 42 on the legs 36 as best shown in Figures 2 and 4.

As clearly shown in Figure 2, the ends of the legs 36 remote from the hollow stem 30, project outwardly from the sleeve 24 and terminate in oppositely extending fingers 44. It should be noted at this point that the relationship between the dimensions of the fingers 44 and the valve seat 20 is such that when the legs 36 are in the position shown thereof in Figure 2 under the urging of the spring 40, the opposite extremities of the fingers 44 are spaced a lesser distance apart than the internal diameter of the valve seat 20. In addition, it will be seen that when the legs 36 are swung outwardly from each other with the sleeve 24 in contact with the Valve seat 20, the fingers 44 will move into the recesses 22 so as to underlie the valve seat 20 at diametrically opposed positions.

In order that the legs 36 may be swung outwardly from each other against the action of the spring 40 so as to move the lingers 44 into the recesses 22 and thereby engage the valve seat 20 between the fingers 44 and the adjacent end of the sleeve 24, a wedge bar 46 is provided which can be extended through the hollow stem 30 to the position shown thereof in Figure 2, and forced between the legs 36 so as to swing the latter outwardly from each other by camming action. In the preferred construction of the wedge bar 46, the end thereof used for camming the legs 36 apart is tapered as at 48.

Means is provided for urging the sleeve 24 either inwardly or outwardly of the opening 16. Such means comprises an anchor plate 50 that can be rigidly secured to the valve 10 in a detachable manner. The plate 50 is provided with a smooth circular opening 52 therethrough that is axially aligned with the opening 16. The opening 52 receives the hollow stem 30 therethrough and is of suiicient diameter to avoid damage to the threaded p0rtion of the hollow stem 30 upon reciprocation of the latter. Means is provided for preventing rotation of the hollow'stem 30 in the opening 52 which preferably takes the form of a key 54 secured to the plate 50 that extends into the opening 52, such key 54 being slidingly received in a keyway 56 extending longitudinally along one side of the threaded portion 32 of the hollow stern 30. A pair of travelling nuts 58 and 60 are threaded upon the threaded portion 32 of the hollow stem 30 on opposite sides of the plate 50. The arrangement is such that the nut 58 may be rotated so as to bear against the plate 50 and by reaction therewith urge the hollow stem 30, the sleeve 24 and the elements carried thereby outwardly from the opening 16. On the other hand, rotation of the nut 60 in a direction to cause the same'to bear againstL the plate 50 will produce a reaction forcibly urging the hollow stem 30, the sleeve 24 and the elements carried thereby into the opening 16.

The nuts S8 and 60 are preferably hexagonal in shape in order to facilitate turning of the same by a conventional wrench, not shown. In this connection, it should also be noted that the key 54 is angularly so situated about the axis of the hollow stem 30 that the legs 36 lie in a plane common to that of the recesses 22.

The plate 50 can be secured to the body of the valve 10 in a variety of ways, depending primarily upon the external configuration of the valve body. With the particular external configuration of the valve 10 shown in the drawings, which includes spaced valve body portions 62 land 64 that terminate in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of the opening 16, the plate 50 may be seated against such valve body portions 62 and 64 and detachably secured thereto by cap screws 66 that extend through the plate 50 and are threadingly received in sockets 68. In this connection, the cap screws 66 and the sockets 68 of the specific valve construction shown in the drawings may be used to perform the dual functions of securing the plate 50 to the valve 10 during use of the tool 23 of this invention, and for securing the cross yoke, not shown, to the valve body when the valve is reassembled, thereby simplifying and minimizing the number of parts that must be specially provided to constitute the tool 23.

The tool 23 of this invention may be used for removing the valve seat 20, when replacement thereof becomes necessary, and the same tool may be used for positioning the valve seat 20. The manner in which the tool 23 is used for removing the valve seat 20 is as follows: The valving elements, not shown, normally disposed in the opening 16 are removed, and the sleeve 24 partially inserted in the opening 16. The plate 50 is secured to the valve body 12 by the cap screws 66 and the nut 60 is then rotated against the plate 50 until the sleeve 24 has been urged into the position shown thereof in Figures l and 2. The wedge bar 46 is then urged through the hollow stem 30 to a sufficient extent to cam the legs 36 outwardly and the fingers 44 into the recesses 22 that underlie the valve seat 20. Leaving the wedge bar 46 lin a position holding the fingers 44 in the recesses 22, the nut 60 is backed away from the plate 50 and the nut 58 is rotated against the plate 50 in such a manner as to withdraw the sleeve 24, the fingers 44 and the valve seat 20 carried therebetween from within opening 16. The entire tool 23 including plate 50 may then be removed from the valve 10. r

To insert a new valve seat 20 in the position shown thereof in Figures l and 2, the wedge bar 46 is removed from within the hollow stem 30, whereupon the spring 40 retracts the fingers 44 into the position shown thereof in Figure 2, thus freeing the old valve seat 20. While the fingers 44 are thus retracted, a new valve seat 20 is placed against the sleeve 24 and, while holding the same in this position, the wedge bar 46 is inserted through the hollow stem 30 to cam the fingers 44 outwardly so as to hold the new valve seat 20 secure.

The sleeve 24, as well as the new valve seat 20 carried thereagainst by the lingers 44, is then partially inserted into the opening 16, and thereafter the plate 50 is secured to the valve body 12 and the nut 60 operated to force the sleeve 24 and the valve seat 20 into the position shown thereof in Figures 1 and 2. The wedge bar 46 is then withdrawn from the hollow stem 30 so that the fingers 44 are retracted Yfrom within the recesses 22 and the tool 23 is then removed from the valve 10, leaving `the new valve seat 20 properly positioned for use.

It will be evident tov those skilled in the art that the subject invention is readily susceptible to numerous minor variations without departing from the scope thereof. An example of such changes would be replacing the two legs 36 that are disposed 180 apart with say three legs disposed apart; transverse modifications in the shape of the fingers 44 to conform with variously shaped recesses 22; using different means for securing the plate 50 to the body of the valve 10, etc. The actual scope of the invention is to be ascertained upon inspection of the appended claims.

We claim:

l. For use in replacing an annular valve seat of the type disposed at one end of a cylindrical valve stem opening in a valve body and seated against an annular shoulder, such shoulder being provided with a pair of diametrically opposed recesses underlying the valve seat; an improved valve seat replacement tool comprising a cylindrical sleeve adapted to be received for reciprocable movement in the valve stem opening, a hollow stem concentric with the sleeve and having one end extending into one end of the sleeve and fixedly secured thereto, a pair of legs having their inner ends disposed within the sleeve, said inner ends of the legs being diametrically spaced with respect to the axis of the sleeve and individually pivoted to said end ofthe hollow stern for diametrically opposed pivotal movement of the outer ends of the legs toward and away from the axis of the sleeve, said legs extending from the other end of the sleeve and terminating at their outer ends in diametrically opposed, radially extending lingers that are axially spaced from said other end of the sleeve whereby an annular valve seat embracing the outer ends of the legs-can be engaged between said other end of the sleeve and the fingers, a tension spring connecting the legs intermediate their ends yieldingly urging the legs to a position in which the opposite extremities of the fingers are spaced apart a lesser distance than the diameter of the sleeve and in which the legs are inclined toward the axis of the sleeve from their inner ends, a bar reciprocable in the hollow stem and having one end disposed between and in camming engagement with the legs for causing radially outward pivotal movement of the lingers upon movement of the bar toward said other end of the sleeve, said hollow stem extending from said one end of the sleeve with such extending portion being threaded and provided with a longitudinal keyway, an anchor plate and means carried by the plate for releasably fastening the plate to the valve body in a predetermined and fixed relative position, said plate having an opening therethrough through which the threaded portion of the hollow stern is freely reciprocable, a key carried by the plate that is received in the keyway for preventing rotation of the hollow stern relative to the plate, and a nut threaded on the hollow stem and bearing against the plate for pulling the hollow stem through the plate, whereby the sleeve can be pushed into the valve stem opening into engagement with the valve seat with the lingers directed toward the recesses, the legs cammed to cause the lingers to pivot into the recesses, and the valve seat withdrawn in a position embracing the legs and engaged between the sleeve and the fingers.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said one end of the hollow stem is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed slots that receive the inner ends of the legs, each of said legs being pivoted to the hollow stern by a pivot pin carried by the hollow stern and extending through such leg and one of the slots, and said means for releasably fastening the anchor plate to the valve body comprising a plurality of cap screws rotatably carried by the plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,473,075 Bates Nov. 6, 1923 1,717,487 Armstrong June 18, 1929 1,804,843 Santiago May 2l, 1931 2,310,639 Johnson Feb. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 828,827 Germany Jan. 21, 1952 

